A Collector's Dream Weekend: Cars, Coastal Highways, And Craftsmanship

We are here on a very special morning in Newport, Rhode Island for the 2025 Audrain Tour to Elegance and we're here with Alang Enzone and none other than Mr. Wilhelm Schmidt. Tell us a little bit about the car before we head in. >> It's not my car unfortunately, but it's a it's a German car. Uh, perfect. It's a little poor 356 convertible. Um, and I think, you know, for the road and the weather, I couldn't imagine a more perfect car. >> All right, we ready to go. >> Let's do it. >> So, here's a quick brief of the Tour Deagons. It's part of the Audrey Newport Concord and Motor Week, a tradition born in 2019, celebrating everything around the automobile. Each year, more than a hundred of the world's most beautiful cars take to the roads of Newport. From pre-war legends to modern masterpieces, spanning nearly a century of design. The mission for me today, ride in a vintage Porsche with Wilhelm as a driver. As a long guy myself, this will certainly be a fun morning. >> This car is spectacular, though. I mean I mean, how does it feel to drive it right now? >> No, they're they're great. You know, they're nimble, they're light, the brakes work. Uh they're not overpowered. So, I mean, I have to ask you what's, you know, what's on your wrist today? >> It's the the white gold 1815 chronograph perpetual calendar. >> Spectacular, >> you know, with a pink gold dial. >> Uh, >> yeah. I got to love the watch, actually. >> And this one was limited, right? This 100. Yeah. >> 100. >> So, obviously this is so exciting. This is Langa's third year sponsoring the Audrean Concord. But what is it with Langa and cars? If you look at these cars, they're usually handmade by very skilled people. >> Yeah. >> Even today, you need very skilled people to keep them up on the road because it's not like, you know, you can take the mechanic from around the corner and they can repair the car. So, it's craftsmanship at its best for cars. And and for me, it's always amazing. I mean there are some cars here that are probably now 100 years old or our car here is almost as old as I and still people look at it and they say what a gorgeous design that makes a consumable into a collectible. And then the third element is history. all of these cars and often the owners as well they can share a story with you and and if you look at Alango and Zerna and our brand established on its heritage >> our very unique history it's design you know the very German approach on watch making and for sure it's craftsmanship you know that's why we need so many people to produce so few watches and that's the the common ground and that I think is interesting for our clients they may not be car guys >> but they can understand why we bring them here. These are passionate people. >> Mhm. >> But the challenge with passionate people is they will easily recognize are you really passionate about what you do. So if you're not passionate, they will spot that and then it's not authentic. It's not genuine. >> So I know uh will you've been you've been a car guy, you know, your whole life. Yes. Um and and you know watches as well but did but I think watches for you too also came at a pretty young age um in addition to to just loving cars. >> I I think I inherited the love for cars. The the passion for watches is really something which I didn't inherit I developed. This is this is a bit cheesy of a question, but you know, if you had to compare this to any particular Langa, how would you like what would >> that would be the Saxonia because it it it it does a job all the time. Um it's a great thing. I mean, we drive here in a car. I would say that's from 62 63. >> Yeah, >> think about it. I mean, as old as me, and I'm old. >> Now, on to the new. Coinciding with the Carfield weekend is the introduction of two 40mm onyx stone dialed Saxonia thins in platinum as well as longest proprietary honey gold. It's the first time we've seen a saxonia thin in either of these case metals and Wilhelm thinks that these might just be the best tuxedo watches to come out of Glassuta. >> You know onyx is a as we all know is a natural stone a very difficult material to work with. Um the onyx dials they are so unforgiving. Um so that's a next level and as we developed the first ones we said to to go through that steep learning curve for just one watch. So we said we take the other watch which probably is the ultimate tuxedo watch you know the most formal thing you can you can have which is the uh the thin and in two combination we haven't used in a long time. So we haven't used platinum I think we've never used honey gold on on this thing. I mean, yeah, cuz the only honey gold sort of slim case you guys have done was 1815 thin for the 175th >> and the 1815 was the absolute hit. Remember, I mean, >> people go crazy about that two hand watch >> because the proportions are just and the dial and the whole combination, the finish and the movement >> is just Yeah, >> I can never stop staring at that thing. I mean, this is the saxonia thin and honey gold with the jet black dial. Same with the platinum. That like sort of cold contrast is just it's theatrical, you know, in a sense. And the copper blue for the longest time I had always said was the tuxedo watch cuz it was a little showy. It was a little dazzly. You guys have done really well with jet black dials. Between Onyx and Gru Enlact, it's you guys are going all out, you know, which I think for for Langa fans, it's long overdue. >> Ton, don't forget these are the most difficult dials to work with. Black doesn't forgive anything. >> That's right. Yeah. >> >> I I loved hearing about with the longo one last year part of the allocation was really much targeted towards newer clients you know and I think that's very special and is it going to be similar with uh with the saxonia thin >> in the last 3 four years a lot of newcomers into the brand so the idea is to to allocate uh a certain proportion of these watches really to people new and fresh to the brand there is common denominator amongst lang collectors. >> It doesn't matter whether you come with a grand complication >> y >> or a saxonia thin um you're part of the family. >> Yes, absolutely. >> And if somebody knows that you went out of your way to get one of these watches, um you you gain respect, you know, you just you are just part of it. >> >> Maybe we can get some of Vilhelm's uh quick takes, you know. I think uh let's try. Yeah, let's try and let's see how this goes, you know. You know, let's start. Favorite case metal? >> Platinum. >> Platinum. Okay. Favorite uh favorite lumen dial execution? >> Uh datraph up and down. >> Uh favorite complication? >> Chronograph. >> Okay. 1815 or Saxonia? >> 1815. >> 1815. Favorite person to work with? >> Uh all my all my direct reports. >> Amazing. Good answer. Good answer. Favorite Hunk model. >> Uh Tidevac. >> Oh yeah. >> Tide for for different reasons than you would expect. >> Interesting. Okay. >> Um the escapement has made the glaci which was gold. >> Yep. Mhm. >> Uh and we only do that execution uh on the grand complication. >> So the titun and the grand complications are the only the only watchers with the glass escapement. And for that simple reason, >> I just think that is so rare, so different >> and so damn difficult as we did it because you underestimated and now we know why they stopped doing it out of gold. It's not the ideal material for it. >> What is one thing that you do outside of Langa HQ? >> When the weather allows, there's a nice little footpath up to the mountain. I go up there for lunch and go through a few emails and just enjoy the view. >> >> Vom. This was absolutely a pleasure uh to drive. >> Hard work today, wasn't it? >> Not too shabby. This was the best Uber ride I've ever had uh in my life. >> Great weather, nice people, passion everywhere. You know what? What what what can be more perfect? You were you were a good co-pilot. A lousy navigator though.